If you build it...will they come?
One school of thought is that if you put up a website, e-commerce or not, people will find you and buy your product or services. Not so much - at least not without some careful planning.
- the increasing cost of digital ads
- the growing influence of social media and influencers on purchase decisions
- standing out as an online storefront or business site
As stated, digital ads are getting more expensive but also more targeted. That said, there are things you can do to maximize your visibility before you try buying ads:
- Sounds elementary, but if your site is not optimized for mobile, you're in trouble.There are still some e-commerce sites out there that are not! Hubspot reports that 61% of people are more likely to visit a local business if they have a mobile-friendly site.
- Register on all of the search engines you can identify. Although Google commands 94% of all organic search traffic, there are local business search engines that make plenty of sense for a smaller business.
- Make sure you've provided all of the info necessary for search engines to respond to voice searches. Hubspot reports that 43% of mobile users choose voice search over typing in the info.
- You must have a website. A FB page or LinkedIn company page is one extra way to be found by a search engine, but if you are a "real" business, you must have a website. This is where people go to find out what you do and who you do it for - and will judge whether you're legitimate.
- Your URL is important. If the name of your business does not describe what you do, buy at least one url that does. For instance, an accounting firm may be named Jones & Partners, but you will be found easier in a search for accountants if you have at least one url pointing to your site that is JonesAccounting or JonesAndPartnersAccountants, etc.
- Relevant Content. Content marketing gets 3x more leads than paid advertising, according to the Content Marketing Institute, with 55% of companies saying that blogging is their #1 inbound marketing priority.
Contact us to discuss other ways in which you can make your website work more efficiently for you. Some basic updates will increase the ability for potential customers to find you!
